Aerobility ‘delivers the dream’ at Farnborough International Airshow 2024

Saturday 20th July 2024

Aerobility, a UK based aviation charity offering disabled people, the opportunity to fly and participate in aviation-based activities, will be exhibiting at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) during July 22-26, 2024 (Stand E040 )  as it celebrates the flying debut of its latest fleet addition, the homebuilt two-seat Zenair CH750 STOL aircraft.  G-ICAN flew from Aerobility’s home at Blackbushe Airport to Farnborough Airport earlier this week under a special permit from the UK Light Aircraft Association (LAA).

The ‘Building a Dream’ project was first announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2018.  It was a pledge to build an aircraft ‘one rivet at a time’ with a team of disabled and able-bodied volunteers.  In the process Aerobility gained stellar support from corporate and individual contributors.  The charity will be sharing details of the build, originally kicked off during FIA 2018 by team members of The Red Arrows.

Diversity, equality and inclusion – Aerobility speaking at FIA 2024

Aerobility will be fielding a 20-strong team at FIA 2024, led by CEO Mike Miller-Smith MBE and supported by Advocacy Manager, Harvey Matthewson.

Diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) features high on the agenda this year and Aerobility will be leading the charge.  Harvey, himself a disabled flier, will participate in a panel session on Wednesday, July 24 at 1400 hrs in Hall 3, Area 3100, titled: ‘Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Aerospace’. Organised by Aerospace Xelerated who provide startups with funding, mentorship and support to help them turn ideas into a successful business, the session will focus on how DE&I is at the heart of what an organisation does. The session will conclude with Mike Miller-Smith joining a Q&A.

On Friday, 26 July at 11.55hrs in the Aerospace Global News Theatre, Hall 4, Harvey will deliver a keynote session  entitled ‘Disability Inclusion. Why Bother?’ Backed by case studies, it will highlight why disability inclusion is vital for the industry and how it can improve the productivity of organisations and the quality of services for customers. The session will also discuss the work and vision of the industry initiative, The Equal Skies Charter ( Equal Skies Charter )  which calls on the aviation industry to promote inclusion.

In other news, Aerobility continues to work with the UK Space Agency through and in collaboration with King’s College, London on a feasibility study to help generate data which aims to make spaceflight accessible to people with physical disabilities. “Aerobility connects the disabled community with academia  to ensure that the really important questions are asked and answered in order to enable the disability community to travel into space like everyone else.  Even small adjustments to equipment can make space more accessible,” said Mike Miller-Smith. Aerobility and King’s College London will be conducting live research on the stand at the show.

Aerobility invites delegates to discuss DE&I policy

As Requests for Proposals (RFPs) increasingly require a high scoring DE&I policy, Aerobility is urging corporate delegates to come and meet the team at FIA to discuss how the charity can help their business. “It gives corporates a genuine reason for working with the charity, over and above its obvious charitable endeavours,” adds Mike Miller-Smith.  “Companies we work with are acknowledged for their support,” he adds.  “They tell us it helps them positively when applying and achieving successful tenders.”

L-R: Dave Groves, Project Manager with the Zenair at Aerobility's HQ, Blackbushe Airport (credit - Emerald Media); Mike Miller-Smith, CEO and Harvey Matthewson, Advocacy Manager

About Aerobility

Aerobility is a UK charity helping to transform the lives of disabled people by enabling them to experience the magic and wonder of flight, whatever their challenges. We do this because taking the controls of an aircraft drives a focus on capability and encourages our flyers to ask the question ‘if I can fly an aeroplane, what else can I do?’

This makes everything else in life feel that little bit more achievable, while offering the ultimate feeling of freedom and escape from the restrictions of disability. The charity provides access to modified aircraft and equipment, giving hundreds of disabled people the chance to spread their wings every year - both literally and figuratively.

In addition, the charity provides support for young disabled people to learn about aviation with a view to joining the industry in the future; uses Virtual Aviation Experiences to engage disabled people wherever they are in the UK and works with the UK government to improve diversity and inclusion across the sector.